Work support and management system for working machine

ABSTRACT

An excavation support database  40  includes a display table  47  and a display specifics table  48 , which serve as storage means dedicated for display. The state of a working region per mesh is stored in the display table  47 , and a discriminative display method (display color) is stored in the display specifics table  48  corresponding to the state per mesh. Reference is made to the display specifics table  48  on the basis of the state (height) per mesh, which is stored in the display table  47 , to read the corresponding display color from the display specifics table  48 , thereby displaying the state of the working region in a color-coded manner. Operation support and management realized with this system can easily be employed in different types of working machines in common and can inexpensively be performed with ease.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a work support and management systemfor a working machine, which measures and displays the three-dimensionalposition and state of each of working machines used for modifyingtopographic and geological features or improving ground and undergroundconditions, such as a hydraulic excavator, a mine sweeping machine and aground improving machine, thereby supporting and managing work carriedout by the working machine.

BACKGROUND ART

Aiming at an improvement of working efficiency, some of workingmachines, such as hydraulic excavators, are equipped with worksupporting devices in a cab or an operating room for remote control. Inparticular, due to facilitation in three-dimensional positionmeasurement using the GPS, it has recently been proposed to measure thethree-dimensional position of a working machine and to display themeasured position together with, e.g., a target position of work.

One example of such a support device is disclosed in JP,A 08-506870. Ina self-propelled landform modifying machine, such as a truck-typetractor or a ground leveling machine, the disclosed support device isused to display a desired site landform (target landform) and an actualsite landform (current site landform) in superimposed relation, todetermine a target amount of work from the difference between thedesired site landform and the actual site landform, and to control themachine. In addition, the disclosed support device graphically displaysthe difference between the desired site landform and the actual sitelandform in a plan view.

Also, JP,A 8-134958 discloses a remote-controlled work supporting imagesystem in which data of landform under working and design data as atarget value are displayed in superimposed relation on an operatingdisplay installed in an operating room.

Further, JP,A 2001-98585 discloses an excavation guidance system for aconstruction machine having an operating mechanism for excavation, whichis operated to carry out the excavation for modifying athree-dimensional landform into a target three-dimensional landform. Inthe disclosed excavation guidance system, a position where a planepassing a current three-dimensional position of a bucket crosses thetarget three-dimensional landform and the bucket position are displayedon the same screen.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The known techniques mentioned above have problems as follows.

As working machines for modifying topographic and geological features orimproving ground and underground conditions, there are many machinescarrying out a variety of different kinds of work, such as an excavator(hydraulic shovel), a ground leveling machine, a ground improvingmachine, and a mine sweeping machine.

In JP,A 08-506870, the disclosed invention is mentioned as beingapplicable to a self-propelled landform modifying machine, such as atruck-type tractor or a ground leveling machine. Then, one example ofapplications to the truck-type tractor is explained as an embodiment.

However, when the desired site landform (target landform) and the actualsite landform (current site landform) are displayed in superimposedrelation, or when the difference between the desired site landform andthe actual site landform is graphically displayed in a plan view, it isdifficult to employ a system prepared for a particular type of workingmachine in another type of working machine because different types ofworking machines carry out different kinds of work. Accordingly, a newsystem must be prepared for each type of working machine, and a greatdeal of time is required to prepare the systems adapted for the varioustypes of working machines.

Also, the systems disclosed in JP,A 8-134958 and JP,A 2001-98585 areexplained in connection with examples of applications to a hydraulicexcavator, and have similar problems to those mentioned above.

It is an object of the present invention is to provide a work supportand management system for a working machine, which can easily beemployed in different types of working machines in common, and which caninexpensively be prepared with ease.

(1) To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a worksupport and management system for a working machine, which supports andmanages work carried out by the working machine, the system comprisingfirst storage means for storing the state of a working region where theworking machine carries out the work; second storage means for storingthe relationship between the state of the working region and adiscriminative display method; and display means for displaying thestate of the working region, wherein the display means includes firstprocessing means for obtaining discriminative display data by referringto the relationship stored in the second storage means on the basis ofthe state of the working region stored in the first storage means, andfor displaying the state of the working region in a discriminativemanner.

With that feature, even for different types of working machines, thestate of the working region can similarly be displayed in adiscriminative manner just by modifying parameters, which are used inthe first processing means and are related to the state of the workingregion, in match with a modification of parameters related to the stateof the working region, which are stored in the first and second storagemeans and used to represent the state of the working region. As aresult, the work support and management system can easily be employed indifferent types of working machines in common, and it can inexpensivelybe prepared with ease.

(2) Also, to achieve the above object, the present invention provides awork support and management system for a working machine, which measuresand displays the three-dimensional position and state of the workingmachine, thereby supporting and managing work carried out by the workingmachine, the system comprising first storage means for storing the stateof the working region where the working machine carries out the work;second storage means for storing the relationship between the state ofthe working region and a discriminative display method; third storagemeans for storing the three-dimensional position and state of theworking machine; and display means for displaying the state of theworking region, wherein the display means includes first processingmeans for obtaining discriminative display data by referring to therelationship stored in the second storage means on the basis of thestate of the working region stored in the first storage means, and fordisplaying the state of the working region in a discriminative manner,while displaying the three-dimensional position and state of the workingmachine in superimposed relation to the state of the working regionbased on the data stored in the third storage means.

With that feature, as with the above-mentioned feature, the work supportand management system can easily be employed in different types ofworking machines in common, and it can inexpensively be prepared withease. Also, since the position and state of the working machine aredisplayed in superimposed relation to the state of the working region inaddition to the discriminative display of the state of the workingregion, it is possible to, for example, facilitate confirmation of theprogress of work and avoid the work from being repeated in the sameplace, thus resulting in an increase of the working efficiency.

(3) Further, to achieve the above object, the present invention providesa work support and management system for a working machine, whichsupports and manages work carried out by the working machine, the systemcomprising first storage means used for display and storing the state ofthe working region where the working machine carries out the work;second storage means for storing the relationship between the state ofthe working region and a discriminative display method; third storagemeans used for arithmetic operation and storing the state of the workingregion; and display means for displaying the state of the workingregion, wherein the display means includes first processing means forobtaining discriminative display data by referring to the relationshipstored in the second storage means on the basis of the state of theworking region stored in the first storage means, and for displaying thestate of the working region in a discriminative manner, and secondprocessing means for obtaining work data based on data stored in thethird storage means and displaying the obtained work data.

With that feature, as with the above-mentioned feature, the work supportand management system can easily be employed in different types ofworking machines in common, and it can inexpensively be prepared withease. Also, since the work data is displayed in addition to thediscriminative display of the state of the working region, the workingefficiency or the management efficiency can be increased by utilizingthe work data. Moreover, since the processing is executed whileselectively using the storage means between when the state of theworking region is subjected to the discriminative display process andwhen the work data is subjected to the arithmetic operation process, thecreation of programs can be facilitated, and the work support andmanagement system can more easily be prepared.

(4) In above (1) to (3), preferably, the working region is representedin units of mesh indicating a plane of a predetermined size, the firststorage means stores the state of the working region per mesh, and thefirst processing means obtains the discriminative display data byreferring to the relationship stored in the second storage means on thebasis of the state of the working region stored in the first storagemeans per mesh, and displays the state of the working region per mesh ina discriminative manner.

With that feature, since the first processing means is just required toexecute the discriminative display process for the working region permesh, the creation of programs for executing the discriminative displayprocess for the working region can be facilitated, and the work supportand management system can more easily be prepared.

(5) Still further, to achieve the above object, the present inventionprovides a work support and management system for a working machine,which measures and displays the three-dimensional position and state ofthe working machine, thereby supporting and managing work carried out bythe working machine, the system comprising first storage means used fordisplay and storing, as the state of the working region where theworking machine carries out the work, at least one of the current stateof the working region, the state of the working region before the startof the work, and a target value of the work; second storage means forstoring the relationship between the state of the working region and adiscriminative display method; third storage means for storing thethree-dimensional position and state of the working machine; fourthstorage means for storing the current state of the working machine;fifth storage means for storing at least one of the state of the workingregion before the start of the work and the target value of the work;sixth storage means for storing work data of the working machine; anddisplay means for displaying the state of the working region, whereinthe display means includes selection means for selectively displaying aplurality of screens corresponding to working processes, firstprocessing means for, when any of the plurality of screens is selected,obtaining discriminative display data by referring to the relationshipstored in the second storage means on the basis of the state of theworking region stored in the first storage means, and displaying thestate of the working region in a discriminative manner, and secondprocessing means for, when any of the plurality of screens is selected,obtaining the work data of the working region based on data stored inrelated one or more of the first, third, fourth and fifth storage means,displaying the obtained work data, and storing the obtained work data inthe sixth storage means.

With that feature, as with the above-mentioned feature, the work supportand management system can easily be employed in different types ofworking machines in common, and it can inexpensively be prepared withease. Also, any of the plurality of screens can selectively be displayedcorresponding to the working process. Then, in each screen correspondingto the working process, the state of the working region is displayed ina discriminative manner, and the work data is further displayed. Theworking efficiency or the management efficiency can therefore beincreased by utilizing the work data.

(6) In above (5), preferably, the working region is represented in unitsof mesh indicating a plane of a predetermined size, the first, fourthand fifth storage means store the state of the working region per mesh,the first processing means obtains the discriminative display data byreferring to the relationship stored in the second storage means on thebasis of the state of the working region stored in the first storagemeans per mesh, thereby displaying the state of the working region permesh in a discriminative manner, and the second processing means obtainsthe work data per mesh based on the data stored in related one or moreof the first, third, fourth and fifth storage means, thereby displayingthe obtained work data.

With that feature, since the first and second processing means are justrequired to execute the respective processes per mesh, the creation ofprograms for executing those processes can be facilitated, and the worksupport and management system can more easily be prepared.

(7) In above (5), preferably, the plurality of screens selectivelydisplayed by the selection means includes a work plan screen, and whenthe selection means selectively displays the work plan screen, the firstprocessing means obtains the discriminative display data by referring tothe relationship stored in the second storage means on the basis of,among the data stored in the first storage means, data regarding atleast one of the state of the working region before the start of thework and the target value of the work, thereby displaying at least onethe state before the start of the work and the target value of the workin a discriminative manner, and the second processing means computes anddisplays a target work amount based on the data stored in the fifthstorage means, and stores the target work amount in the sixth storagemeans.

With that feature, the creation of a work plan can be facilitated, thusresulting in an increase of the working efficiency and the managementefficiency.

(8) In above (5), preferably, the plurality of screens selectivelydisplayed by the selection means includes a during-work screen, and whenthe selection means selectively displays the during-work screen, thefirst processing means obtains the discriminative display data byreferring to the relationship stored in the second storage means on thebasis of, among the data stored in the first storage means, dataregarding the current state of the working region, thereby displayingthe current state of the working region in a discriminative manner,while displaying the position and state of the working machine insuperimposed relation to the state of the working region based on thedata stored in the third storage means, and the second processing meanscomputes and displays the data regarding the position and state of theworking machine based on the data stored in the third storage means.

With that feature, it is possible to, for example, facilitateconfirmation of the progress of work and avoid the work from beingrepeated in the same place, thus resulting in an increase of the workingefficiency.

(9) In above (5), preferably, the plurality of screens selectivelydisplayed by the selection means includes an after-work screen, and whenthe selection means selectively displays the after-work screen, thefirst processing means obtains the discriminative display data byreferring to the relationship stored in the second storage means on thebasis of the data stored in the first storage means, thereby displayingthe state of the working region after the work in a discriminativemanner, and the second processing means computes and displays an amountof the work made on that day based on, among the data stored in thefourth storage means, the data regarding the current state of theworking region, and stores the amount of the work made on that day inthe sixth storage means.

With that feature, logging on a daily report can be facilitated, and themanagement efficiency can be increased.

(10) In above (5), preferably, the plurality of screens selectivelydisplayed by the selection means includes a total-work completionscreen, and when the selection means selectively displays the after-workscreen, the first processing means obtains the discriminative displaydata by referring to the relationship stored in the second storage meanson the basis of, among the data stored in the first storage means, dataregarding the current state of the working region, thereby displayingthe state of the work region after the completion of total work, and thesecond processing means computes and displays a total amount ofcompleted work based on the data stored in the fourth storage means andthe data stored in the fifth storage means, and stores the qualitymanagement information in the sixth storage means.

With that feature, the total amount of completed work after thecompletion of total work can be confirmed, and the management efficiencycan be increased.

(11) In above (1) to (6), preferably, the second storage means storesthe discriminative display method in color-coded representation, and thefirst processing means displays the state of the working region in acolor-coded manner.

(12) In above (1) to (11), preferably, the working machine is ahydraulic excavator, and the state of the working region is representedby landform of the working region.

(13) In above (1) to (11), the working machine may be a mine sweepingmachine, and the state of the working region may be represented by thepresence or absence of mines buried in the working region and the minetype.

(14) In above (1) to (11), the working machine may be a ground improvingmachine, and the state of the working region may be represented bypositions where a solidifier is loaded and an amount of the loadedsolidifier.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration showing the overall configuration of a worksupport and management system according to a first embodiment in whichthe present invention is applied to a crawler mounted hydraulicexcavator.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a computer 23 ofan on-board system in the work support and management system.

FIG. 3 is a representation showing the configuration of an excavationsupport database stored in the computer of the on-board system.

FIG. 4 is an illustration showing the concept of representing a workingregion in the form of meshes.

FIG. 5 shows screen examples displayed on a monitor of the computer.

FIG. 6 shows other screen examples displayed on the monitor of thecomputer.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of the computer.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of steps ofdisplaying respective screens in the flowchart of FIG. 7 when any of awork plan screen, a during-work screen, an after-work screen, and atotal-work completion screen is optionally selected.

FIG. 9 is an illustration showing the overall configuration of a worksupport and management system according to a second embodiment in whichthe present invention is applied to a mine sweeping machine.

FIG. 10 is a representation showing the configuration of an excavationsupport database stored in a computer of an on-board system.

FIG. 11 shows screen examples displayed on a monitor of the computer.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of the computer.

FIG. 13 is an illustration showing the overall configuration of a worksupport and management system according to a third embodiment in whichthe present invention is applied to a ground improving machine.

FIG. 14 is a representation showing the configuration of an excavationsupport database stored in a computer of an on-board system.

FIG. 15 shows screen examples displayed on a monitor of the computer.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of the computer.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below withreference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an illustration showing the overall configuration of a worksupport and management system according to a first embodiment in whichthe present invention is applied to a crawler mounted hydraulicexcavator.

Referring to FIG. 1, a hydraulic excavator 1 comprises a swing body 2, acab 3, a travel body 4, and a front operating mechanism 5. The swingbody 2 is rotatably mounted on the travel body 4, and the cab 3 islocated in a front left portion of the swing body 2. The travel body 4is illustrated as being of the crawler type, but it may be of the wheeltype having wheels for traveling.

The front operating mechanism 5 comprises a boom 6, an arm 7, and abucket 8. The boom 6 is mounted to a front central portion of the swingbody 2 rotatably in the vertical direction. The arm 7 is mounted to afore end of the boom 6 rotatably in the back-and-forth direction, andthe bucket 8 is mounted to a fore end of the arm 7 rotatably in theback-and-forth direction. The boom 6, the arm 7, and the bucket 8 arerotated respectively by a boom cylinder, an arm cylinder, and a bucketcylinder (which are not shown).

The hydraulic excavator 1 is equipped with an on-board system 10. Theon-board system 10 comprises a boom angle sensor 15, an arm angle sensor16, a bucket angle sensor 17, a swing angle sensor 18, an inclinationsensor 24, a gyro 19, GPS receivers 20, 21, a wireless unit 22, and acomputer 23 in order to compute the fore end position of the bucket 8.

Further, a GPS base station 25 is installed in a place of which latitudeand longitude have exactly been measured. A signal from a GPS satellite26 is received by the GPS receivers 20, 21 of the on-board system 10,and it is also received by a receiver 26 installed in the GPS basestation 25. The GPS base station 25 computes correction data andtransmits the computed correction data from a wireless unit 27 to thewireless unit 21 of the on-board system 10. The computer 23 of theon-board system 10 computes the bucket fore end position(three-dimensional position) based on the GPS satellite data, thecorrection data, and attitude data obtained from the sensors 15-18 and24 and the gyro 19.

The computer 23 of the on-board system 10 includes an excavation supportdatabase (described later). This database is used to provide an operatorwith work support during excavation by displaying various data throughsteps of, for example, selecting necessary data from the database anddisplaying the current state of a working region and the position andstate of the hydraulic excavator 1 in superimposed relation.

A management room 30 is installed in a place far away from the hydraulicexcavator 1. Various data can also be viewed on a computer 33 in themanagement room 30 by transmitting the data stored as the database inthe computer 23 and the position data computed by it from a wirelessunit 31 of the on-board system 10 to a wireless unit 32 installed in themanagement room 30.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the computer 23of the on-board system 10.

The computer 23 comprises a monitor 23 a, a keyboard 23 b, a mouse 23 c,an input device (input circuit) 231 for receiving operation signals fromthe keyboard 23 b and the mouse 23 c, an input device (A/D converter)232 for receiving detected signals from the sensors 15-17, 18 and 24 andthe gyro 19, a serial communication circuit 233 for receiving theposition signals from the GPS receivers 20, 21, a central processingunit (CPU) 234, a main storage (hard disk) 235 for storing programs ofcontrol procedures and the excavation support database, a memory (RAM)236 for temporarily storing numerical values during arithmeticoperation, a display control circuit 237 for controlling display on themonitor 23 a, and a serial communication circuit 248 for outputtingposition information to the wireless unit 31.

FIG. 3 is a representation showing the configuration of the excavationsupport database stored in the computer 23 of the on-board system 10.

The computer 23 of the on-board system 10 includes, as described above,the hard disk 235 serving as the main storage, and the hard disk 235stores the excavation support database 40. The excavation supportdatabase 40 is made up of a machine position information table 41, amachine dimension data table 42, a work information table 43, a workobject information table 44, a before-work object information table 45,a target value information table 46, a display table 47, and a displayspecifics table 48.

The machine position information table 41 stores the three-dimensionalposition of the hydraulic excavator 1, the front attitude(three-dimensional position of the bucket fore end), etc., which aremeasured as appropriate. The machine dimension data table 42 storesmachine dimensions necessary for computing the front attitude, such asthe arm length, the boom length, and the bucket size. The workinformation table 43 stores work data, such as the operator name, themachine type, the start time of work, the end time of work, the amountof earth excavated on that day (value calculated as described later).The work object information table 44 stores the current state of theworking region. The before-work object information table 45 stores thestate of the working region before the start of work (i.e., the originallandform). The target value information table 46 stores the targetlandform of the working region.

The current state of the working region stored in the work objectinformation table 44 includes the state before daily work (landformbefore work), the state during daily work (landform during work), thestate after daily work (landform after work), and the state after thecompletion of total work. Those states are stored in areas 44 a, 44 b,44 c and 44 d, which are independent of one another. Also, the currentstate of the working region, the state of the working region before thestart of work (i.e., the original landform), and the target landform ofthe working region, which are stored respectively in the work objectinformation table 44, the before-work object information table 45 andthe target value information table 46, are each expressed in a way ofrepresenting the working region in units of mesh that indicates a planeof a predetermined size, and are each stored as height information permesh.

The display table 47 and the display specifics table 48 are used todisplay the state of the working region on the monitor 23 a of thecomputer 23. The display table 47 stores the state of the working regionper mesh, and the display specifics table 48 stores the relationshipbetween the state of the working region per mesh and the discriminativedisplay method (display color).

The state of the working region stored in the display table 47 includesthe state in the work planning stage, the state during work, the stateafter work, and the state after the completion of total work. The statein the work planning stage represents a value obtained by subtractingthe height of the target landform stored in the target value informationtable 46 from the height in the state before the start of work (i.e.,the height of the original landform) stored in the before-work objectinformation table 45. The state during work represents a value obtainedby subtracting the height of the target landform stored in the targetvalue information table 46 from the height in the state during work,which is stored in the work object information table 44. The state afterwork represents a value obtained by subtracting the height of the targetlandform stored in the target value information table 46 from the heightin the state after work, which is stored in the work object informationtable 44. The state after the completion of total work represents avalue obtained by subtracting the height of the target landform storedin the target value information table 46 from the height in the stateafter the completion of total work, which is stored in the work objectinformation table 44. Those states are stored in corresponding areas 47a, 47 b, 47 c and 47 d within the display table 47 as information permesh similarly to the tables 44 through 46.

Further, the relationship between the state of the working region andthe discriminative display method (display color), which is stored inthe display specifics table 48, is given such that the state of theworking region is stored as the height information and thediscriminative display method is provided by color coding. For example,the relationship is represented by combinations of height zones andcolors, such as the height less than 1 m and light blue, the height notless than 1 m but less than 2 m and blue, the height not less than 2 mbut less than 3 m and yellow, the height not less than 3 m but less than4 m and brown, and the height not less than 5 m and green. Thediscriminative display method may also be practiced by using symbols,e.g., ⊙, ◯, ●, x and Δ, instead of color coding.

FIG. 4 is an illustration showing the concept of representing theworking region in the form of meshes.

The lower left corner of the working region is defined as the origin ofa mesh array, and a total of 10000 meshes M each having a square shapewith one side of 50 cm are formed and displayed. The meshes M thusformed are managed using respective mesh numbers (Nos.) for identifyingindividual positions. The data format of the mesh number is given astwo-dimensional array data, and a square block located at the left endin the lowest level is expressed by (1, 1) on an assumption that thevertical axis represents y and the horizontal axis represents x. Then,successive numbers are assigned to respective square blocks upward andrightward in increasing order for data management. In each of the workobject information table 44, the before-work object information table45, the target value information table 46, and the display table 47, thestate of the working region is stored as height data in correspondenceto the array data of the meshes M in one-to-one relation.

The state of the working region before the start of work (i.e., theoriginal landform) can be obtained, for example, as the result of remotesensing using the satellite or the result of measurement using asurveying device. The thus-obtained data is subjected to theabove-described mesh processing and then inputted to the computer 23 byusing a recording medium, such as an IC card, to be stored in thebefore-work object information table 45 and the display table 47. Thetarget landform of the working region can be obtained by storing CADdata of a working plan drawing and the current position of the bucketfore end in the computer 20, and by inputting data resulting from, e.g.,direct teaching with the current position of the bucket fore end set asa target plane. The thus-obtained data is similarly subjected to theabove-described mesh processing and then inputted to the computer 23 byusing a recording medium, such as an IC card, to be stored in the targetvalue information table 46 and the display table 47. The current stateof the working region includes, as mentioned above, the state (landform)before daily work, the state (landform) during daily work, the state(landform) after daily work, and the state (landform) after thecompletion of total work. Of those states, the state during daily workcan be obtained by storing, as the current height, the position of thebucket fore end under excavation and updating the previous currentstate. That data is periodically stored in the work object informationtable 44 and the display table 47 upon timer interrupts. Also, of thestate before daily work, the state before work on the first day for thetotal working term can be obtained by copying the state before the startof work (i.e., the original landform) stored in the before-work objectinformation table 45. The state before work on the second or subsequentday can be obtained by copying the state after work on the previous day,and the state after daily work can be obtained by copying the last stateduring work on that day. Those data are also stored in the work objectinformation table 44 and the display table 47. Further, the state afterthe completion of total work can be obtained by copying the state afterwork at the completion of the total work, and that data is similarlystored in the work object information table 44 and the display table 47.Alternatively, the state after the completion of total work may beobtained as the result of remote sensing using the satellite, or theresult of storing the position of the bucket bottom as the currentheight in the condition where the bucket bottom is brought into contactwith the completed ground, or the result of measurement using asurveying device.

Furthermore, map data may be superimposed, as required, on the landformdata stored in the above-described tables 44 through 47. This enablesthe operator to know the presence or absence of rivers, roads, etc.,thus resulting in an increase of the working efficiency. In such a case,as indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 3, map database 50 may additionallybe prepared so that map data stored in the map database 50 is used toprovide the superimposed display.

FIG. 5 shows screen examples displayed on the monitor 23 a. An upperleft example in FIG. 5 represents a work plan screen A1 used in the workplanning stage. In this work plan screen A1, the height of the landformobtained by subtracting the height of the target landform from theheight in the state before the start of work (i.e., the height of theoriginal landform) is displayed, as the state before the start of work(i.e., the height of the original landform) and the target landform, ina plan view where the height of the landform is represented in units ofmesh by color coding per height zone (in FIG. 5, the height isrepresented by different densities of hatched meshes for the sake ofconvenience, and this is similarly applied to the followingdescription). An upper right example in FIG. 5 represents a during-workscreen B1 used for supporting the operator during work. In thisduring-work screen B1, the height of the landform obtained bysubtracting the height of the target landform from the height in thestate (of the landform) during work is displayed, as the state(landform) during work, in a plan view where the height of the landformis represented in units of mesh by color coding per height zone.Further, the three-dimensional position of the hydraulic excavator andthe front attitude (three-dimensional position of the bucket fore end)are displayed in superimposed relation to the state during work. A lowerleft example in FIG. 5 represents an after-work screen C1 used after theend of work on one day. In this after-work screen C1, the height of thelandform obtained by subtracting the height of the target landform fromthe height in the state (of the landform) after work on that day isdisplayed, as the state (landform) after work, in a plan view where theheight of the landform is represented in units of mesh by color codingper height zone. A lower right example in FIG. 5 represents a total-workcompletion screen D1 used after the completion of total work for theplanned entire working region. In this total-work completion screen D1,the height of the landform obtained by subtracting the height of thetarget landform from the height in the state (of the landform) after thecompletion of total work is displayed, as the state (height) after thecompletion of total work, in a plan view where the height of thelandform is represented in units of mesh by color coding per heightzone.

FIG. 6 shows other screen examples displayed on the monitor 23 c. Anupper left example in FIG. 6 represents a work plan screen E, an upperright example in FIG. 6 represents a during-work screen F, a lower leftexample in FIG. 6 represents an after-work screen G, and a lower rightexample in FIG. 6 represents a total-work completion screen H. The workplan screen E displays the state before the start of work (i.e., theoriginal landform) and the target landform in a vertical sectional view.The during-work screen F displays the state before the start of work(i.e., the original landform), the target landform, and the state(landform) during work in a vertical sectional view. The during-workscreen F also displays the three-dimensional position of the hydraulicexcavator and the front attitude (three-dimensional position of thebucket fore end) in superimposed relation to the state during work. Theafter-work screen G displays the state before the start of work (i.e.,the original landform), the target landform, and the state (landform)after work on that day in a vertical sectional view. The total-workcompletion screen H displays the state before the start of work (i.e.,the original landform) and the state (landform) after the completion ofthe total work in a vertical sectional view.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of the computer 23.

As described above, the computer 23 of the on-board system 10 includesthe central processing unit (CPU) 234 and the main storage (hard disk)235, and the main storage 235 stores the control programs. The CPU 234executes a display process, shown in FIG. 7, in accordance with thecontrol programs.

First, the operator gets on the hydraulic excavator 1 and starts up anengine. Then, the operator turns on a power supply of the on-boardsystem 10 to boot up the on-board system 10. At this time, a startscreen is displayed on the monitor 23 a. The start screen includesdisplay of a menu for selecting the screen to be displayed, and the menucontains items “work plan screen”, “during-work screen”, “after-workscreen”, and “total-work completion screen”.

Then, the operator manipulates the keyboard 23 b or the mouse 23 c toselect one of the items “work plan screen”, “during-work screen”,“after-work screen”, and “total-work completion screen” on the menu(step S100). If “work plan screen” is selected, the work plan screen A1shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the monitor 23 a and detailed data inthe work planning stage is also displayed (steps S102, S110 and S112).The detailed data displayed here includes the area of the entire plannedworking region, the target work amount (total target amount of earth tobe excavated) for the entire planned working region, etc. The targetwork amount (total target amount of earth to be excavated) for theentire planned working region is calculated from the difference betweenthe state of the working region before the start of work (i.e., theoriginal landform) and the target landform of the working region, and isdisplayed as a numerical value. Further, the calculated data is storedin the work information table 43.

If “during-work screen” is selected, the during-work screen B1 shown inFIG. 5 is displayed on the monitor 23 a and detailed data during work isalso displayed (steps S104, S114 and S116). The detailed data displayedhere includes the area of the working region currently under work, theangle and prong end height of the bucket of the hydraulic excavator,etc. The angle and prong end height of the bucket of the hydraulicexcavator are calculated from sensor values at appropriate timings andare displayed as numerical values. Further, those calculated data arestored in the machine position information table 41.

If “after-work screen” is selected, the after-work screen C1 shown inFIG. 5 is displayed on the monitor 23 a and detailed data after work isalso displayed (steps S106, S118 and S120). The detailed data displayedhere includes the area of the finished working region and the amount offinished work (amount of excavated earth) on that day. The amount offinished work (amount of excavated earth) on that day is calculated fromthe difference between the state (landform) before work and the state(landform) after work on that day, and is displayed as a numericalvalue. Further, the calculated data is stored in the work informationtable 43.

If “total-work completion screen” is selected, the total-work completionscreen D1 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed on the monitor 23 a and detaileddata after the completion of total work is also displayed (steps S108,S122 and S124). The detailed data displayed here includes the total areaand excavation accuracy of the completed working region, the totalamount of excavated earth, etc. The excavation accuracy is calculated asthe difference between the target landform of the working region and thestate (landform) after the completion of total work, and is displayed asa numerical value. Further, after the completion of total work, thetotal amount of excavated earth is calculated by summing up the dailywork amount from the first to last day, and the calculated result isdisplayed as a numerical value. Those data are also stored in the workinformation table 43.

Each of the above-described screens has a screen switching buttondisplayed on it so that the screens E through H shown in FIG. 6 canselectively be switched over by depressing the button with inputoperation from the keyboard 23 b or the mouse 23 c. The foregoingprocess is repeatedly executed until an end button displayed on eachscreen is depressed (step S130).

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of steps S110, S114,S118 and S122 of displaying the respective screens when any of the workplan screen, the during-work screen, the after-work screen, and thetotal-work completion screen is optionally selected.

When any of the work plan screen, the during-work screen, the after-workscreen, and the total-work completion screen is selected, the computeraccesses the display table 47 and the display specifics table 48 of theexcavation support database 40. It first reads the state (height) permesh from the corresponding area in the display table 47 (step S150),then reads the display color corresponding to the state (height) fromthe display specifics table 48 (step S152), and then paints each mesh inthe corresponding display color (step S154).

Additionally, the processing of step S114 of displaying the during-workscreen includes the function of displaying the three-dimensionalposition of the hydraulic excavator and the front attitude(three-dimensional position of the bucket fore end) in superimposedrelation to the state during work.

This embodiment thus constituted can provide advantages as follows.

The excavation support database 40 includes the display table 47 and thedisplay specifics table 48, which serve as storage means dedicated fordisplay. The state of the working region per mesh is stored in thedisplay table 47, and the discriminative display method (display color)is stored in the display specifics table 48 corresponding to the stateper mesh. Reference is made to the display specifics table 48 on thebasis of the state (height) per mesh, which is stored in the displaytable 47, to read the corresponding display color from the displayspecifics table 48, thereby displaying the state of the working regionin a color-coded manner. Even for different types of working machines,therefore, the state of the working region can similarly be displayed ina discriminative manner just by modifying parameters, which are used torepresent the state of the working region stored in the display table 47and the display specifics table 48, depending on the type of workingmachine and by modifying, in match with such a modification, parametersrelated to the state of the working region, which are used in theprocessing software represented as the flowcharts of FIGS. 7 and 8. As aresult, it is possible to easily employ the work support and managementsystem in different types of working machines in common, and toinexpensively prepare the work support and management system with ease.

Also, the display table 47 dedicated for display is provided separatelyfrom the work object information table 44, the before-work objectinformation table 45 and the target value information table 46, and theprocessing is executed while selectively using the storage means, i.e.,either the display table 47 or the others including the work objectinformation table 44, the before-work object information table 45 andthe target value information table 46, between when the state of theworking region is subjected to the discriminative display process andwhen the work data is subjected to the arithmetic operation process.Therefore, the creation of the programs can be facilitated, and the worksupport and management system can more easily be prepared.

Further, the working region is represented in units of mesh indicating aplane of a predetermined size, and the state of the working region isstored per mesh in the work object information table 44, the before-workobject information table 45, the target value information table 46, andthe display table 47. The processing software shown in the flowcharts ofFIGS. 7 and 8 executes the display process and the arithmetic operationprocess of the detailed data per mesh. Therefore, the creation of theindividual programs can be facilitated, and the work support andmanagement system can more easily be prepared.

Moreover, with this embodiment, when the work plan screen is selected,the state of the working region before the start of work (i.e., theoriginal landform) is displayed in a color-coded manner based on thedifference between the original landform and the target landform of theworking region, and the area of the entire planned working region andthe target work amount (total target amount of earth to be excavated)are displayed as numerical values. Therefore, the work plan can easilybe prepared, thus resulting in an increase of the working efficiency andthe management efficiency.

When the during-work screen is selected, the state during work isdisplayed in a color-coded manner based on the difference between thelandform during work and the target landform, and the three-dimensionalposition of the hydraulic excavator and the front attitude(three-dimensional position of the bucket fore end) are displayed insuperimposed relation to the state during work. It is therefore possibleto facilitate confirmation of the progress of work, to avoid theexcavation from being repeated in the same place, and to increase theworking efficiency. In addition, finishing stakes are no longer requiredin actual work, and the number of workers required in the site can bereduced, thus resulting in an increase of the working efficiency and areduction of the cost.

When the after-work screen is selected, the state (landform) after workon that day is displayed in a color-coded manner based on the differencebetween the landform after work on that day and the target landform, andthe area of the finished working region and the amount of finished work(amount of excavated earth) on that day are displayed as numericalvalues. Therefore, logging on a daily report can be facilitated, and themanagement efficiency can be increased.

When the total-work completion screen is selected, the state (landform)after the completion of total work is displayed based on the differencebetween the landform after the completion of total work and the targetlandform of the working region, and that difference is displayed as anumerical value. Therefore, quality management information can beobtained. By utilizing the quality management information for the nextwork plan, a due consideration can be taken in when re-working isperformed or the work plan is reviewed again, which results in anincrease of the working efficiency. Further, knowing the total amount ofexcavated earth contributes to increasing the management efficiency.

In addition, since the various above-mentioned data and the positiondata of the hydraulic excavator are transmitted from the wireless unit31 to the wireless unit 32 in the management room 30, it is possible toview the same data in the management room far away from the hydraulicexcavator, and to confirm the state of the ongoing work.

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to FIG. 9 through 12.

FIG. 9 is an illustration showing the overall configuration of a worksupport and management system according to the second embodiment whenthe present invention is applied to a mine sweeping machine.

Referring to FIG. 9, a mine sweeping machine 101 is constructed by usinga crawler mounted hydraulic excavator as a base machine, and has thesame basic structure as the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 1. Similarcomponents to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by respective numeralsincreased by 100. However, a front operating mechanism 105 includes arotary cutter 108 instead of the bucket, and a radar explosive probingsensor 181 is mounted to a lateral surface of an arm 107. The sensor 181is movable along the lateral surface of an arm 107 through a telescopicextendable arm 182. Also, the sensor 181 is rotatable relative to thetelescopic extendable arm 182 by a probing sensor cylinder.

An on-board system 110 is mounted on the mine sweeping machine 101, anda GPS base station 125 and a management room 130 are installed in otherplaces. The GPS base station 125 and the management room 130 also havethe same basic configuration as those shown in FIG. 1, and similarcomponents to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by respective numeralsincreased by 100. However, the on-board system 110 includes additionalswitches, such as an operation switch for turning on/off the operationof the rotary cutter 108, an operation switch for turning on/off theoperation of the explosive probing sensor 181, a trigger switch forinputting an event that an anti-personal mine has been detected as aresult of the probing, a trigger switch for inputting an event that anantitank mine has been detected as a result of the probing, a triggerswitch for inputting an event that an unexploded shell has been detectedas a result of the probing, a trigger switch for inputting an event thatan anti-personal mine has been disposed of, and a trigger switch forinputting an event that an antitank mine or an unexploded shell has beenremoved.

The construction and operation of the mine sweeping machine 101 aredescribed in detail in Japanese Patent No. 3016018 and Japanese PatentApplication No. 2003-03162.

Further, a computer 123 of the on-board system 110 has the sameconfiguration as that in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. In thissecond embodiment, however, signals from the above-mentioned triggerswitches are also inputted to the input device (A/D converter) 232 (seeFIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 10, the computer 123 of the on-board system 100includes a mine sweeping support database 140. The mine sweeping supportdatabase 140 also has the same basic configuration as the database inthe first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 except for omission of the targetvalue table, and similar tables to those in FIG. 3 are denoted byrespective numerals increased by 100. More specifically, the minesweeping support database 140 is made up of a machine positioninformation table 141, a machine dimension data table 142, a workinformation table 143, a work object information table 144, abefore-work object information table 145, a display table 147, and adisplay specifics table 148.

The data contents stored in the tables 141 through 148 are essentiallythe same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 except for thefollowing points.

The machine position information table 141 and the machine dimensiondata table 142 store, as attachment information, information related tothe rotary cutter or the explosive probing sensor instead of the bucket.The work information table 143 stores, instead of the amount ofexcavated earth, the number of mines disposed of, on/off information ofthe rotary cutter and the explosive probing sensor, etc. The work objectinformation table 144, the before-work object information table 145, andthe display table 147 store, instead of the landform (height), buriedmine data (presence or absence of a mine and mine type) as the state ofthe working region.

The following points are the same as in the first embodiment shown inFIG. 3. The current state of the working region stored in the workobject information table 144 includes the state before daily work, thestate during daily work, the state after daily work, and the state afterthe completion of total work. Those states are stored in areas 144 a,144 b, 144 c and 144 d, which are independent of one another. Thecurrent state of the working region and the state of the working regionbefore the start of work, which are stored respectively in the workobject information table 144 and the before-work object informationtable 145, are each expressed in a way of representing the workingregion in units of mesh that indicates a plane of a predetermined size,and are each stored as information per mesh. The display specifics table148 stores the relationship between the state of the working region permesh and the discriminative display method (display color).

The state of the working region stored in the display table 147 includesthe state in the work planning stage, the state during work, the stateafter work, and the state after the completion of total work. The statein the work planning stage is given by copying the state before thestart of work, which is stored in the before-work object informationtable 145. The state during work is given by copying the state duringwork, which is stored in the work object information table 144. Thestate after work is given by copying the state after work, which isstored in the work object information table 144. The state after thecompletion of total work is given by copying the state after thecompletion of total work, which is stored in the work object informationtable 144. Those states are stored in corresponding areas 147 a, 147 b,147 c and 147 d within the display table 147.

Further, the relationship between the state of the working region andthe discriminative display method (display color), which is stored inthe display specifics table 148, is given such that the state of theworking region is stored as information indicating the presence orabsence of a mine and the mine type and the discriminative displaymethod is provided by color coding. For example, the relationship isrepresented by combinations of states and colors, such as no mine andgreen, an anti-person mine and yellow, an antitank mine and red, and anunexploded shell and purple. The discriminative display method may alsobe practiced, as mentioned above, by using symbols, e.g., ⊙, ◯, ●, x andΔ, instead of color coding.

The state of the working region before the start of work (i.e., theburied mine data—the presence or absence of a mine and the mine type)can be obtained, for example, as the result of remote sensing using thesatellite, or the result of making measurement with the probing sensor181 of the mine sweeping machine 101 and inputting the measured data.The thus-obtained data is subjected to the above-described meshprocessing and then inputted to the computer 123 by using a recordingmedium, such as an IC card, to be stored in the before-work objectinformation table 145. The current state of the working region includes,as mentioned above, the state before daily work, the state during dailywork, the state after daily work, and the state after the completion oftotal work. Of those states, the state during daily work can be obtainedby, whenever a mine is disposed of, inputting the disposal of the minefrom the trigger switch and updating the previous current state. Thatdata is periodically stored and updated in the work object informationtable 144 upon timer interrupts. Also, of the state before daily work,the state before work on the first day for the total working term can beobtained by copying the state before the start of work stored in thebefore-work object information table 145. The state before work on thesecond or subsequent day can be obtained by copying the state after workon the previous day, and the state after daily work can be obtained bycopying the last state during work on that day. Those data are alsostored in the work object information table 144. Further, the stateafter the completion of total work can be obtained by copying the stateafter work at the completion of the total work, and that data issimilarly stored in the work object information table 144.Alternatively, the state after the completion of total work may beobtained as the result of probing again the presence or absence ofmines.

As mentioned above, map data may be superimposed, as required, on theburied mine data stored in the tables 44 through 47. This enables theoperator to know the presence or absence of rivers, roads, etc., thusresulting in an increase of the working efficiency.

FIG. 11 shows screen examples displayed on a monitor 123 a. These screenexamples are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5except that the displayed state of the working region is changed fromthe landform (height) to the buried mine data (the presence or absenceof a mine and the mine type). More specifically, an upper left examplein FIG. 11 represents a work plan screen A2 used in the work planningstage, and an upper right example in FIG. 11 represents a during-workscreen B2 used for supporting the operator during work. A lower leftexample in FIG. 11 represents an after-work screen C2 used after the endof work on one day, and a lower right example in FIG. 11 represents atotal-work completion screen D2 used after the completion of total workfor the planned entire working region. In each of those screens, thestate of the working region is displayed in a plan view where the stateis represented in units of mesh by color coding (in FIG. 11, it isrepresented by different densities of hatched meshes for the sake ofconvenience, and this is similarly applied to the followingdescription). Further, in the during-work screen B2 at the upper rightposition in FIG. 11, the three-dimensional position of the mine sweepingmachine 101 and the front attitude (three-dimensional position of therotary cutter) are displayed in superimposed relation to the stateduring work.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of the computer123. The processing procedures of the computer 123 are also the same asthose in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7 except for the displayprocess of “work plan screen”, “during-work screen”, “after-work screen”and “total-work completion screen”, and the display process of detaileddata. In FIG. 12, steps corresponding to those shown in FIG. 7 aredenoted by the same symbols suffixed with A.

In FIG. 12, if “work plan screen” is selected, the work plan screen A2shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the monitor 123 a and detailed data inthe work planning stage is also displayed (steps S102A, S110A andS112A). The detailed data displayed here includes the area of theplanned working region, the total number of mines to be removed, etc.The total number of mines to be removed can be obtained from the stateof the working region before the start of work. Those obtained data arestored in the work information table 143.

If “during-work screen” is selected, the during-work screen B2 shown inFIG. 11 is displayed on the monitor 123 a and detailed data during workis also displayed (steps S104A, S114A and S116A). The detailed datadisplayed here includes the area of the working region currently underwork, the rotation speed of the rotary cutter, etc. Those data arestored in the machine position information table 141.

If “after-work screen” is selected, the after-work screen C2 shown inFIG. 11 is displayed on the monitor 123 a and detailed data after workis also displayed (steps S106A, S118A and S120A). The detailed datadisplayed here includes the area of the mine swept working region andthe number of disposed-of mines on that day. The number of disposed-ofmines on that day can be calculated from the difference between thestate before work and the state after work on that day. Those data arestored in the work information table 143.

If “total-work completion screen” is selected, the total-work completionscreen D2 shown in FIG. 11 is displayed on the monitor 123 a anddetailed data after the completion of total work is also displayed(steps S108A, S122A and S124A). The detailed data displayed hereincludes the total area of the completely mine swept region, the numberof mines actually disposed of in the total area, etc. The total numberof disposed-of mines can be calculated by summing up the daily number ofdisposed-of mines from the first to last day. Those data are also storedin the work information table 143.

Processing procedures of steps S110A, S114A, S118A and S122A ofdisplaying the respective screens with selection of the work planscreen, the during-work screen, the after-work screen, and thetotal-work completion screen are the same as those in the firstembodiment shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8. In this second embodiment,however, the buried mine data (the presence or absence of a mine and themine type) per mesh is used to represent the state of the working regionfor each mesh instead of the landform height per mesh.

This second embodiment thus constituted can also provide similaradvantages to those obtained with the first embodiment.

The mine sweeping support database 140 includes the display table 147and the display specifics table 148, which serve as storage meansdedicated for display. The state of the working region per mesh isstored in the display table 147, and the discriminative display method(display color) is stored in the display specifics table 148corresponding to the state per mesh. Reference is made to the displayspecifics table 148 on the basis of the state (the presence or absenceof a mine and the mine type) per mesh, which is stored in the displaytable 147, to read the corresponding display color from the displayspecifics table 148, thereby displaying the state of the working regionin a color-coded manner. Even for different types of working machines,therefore, the state of the working region can similarly be displayed ina discriminative manner just by modifying parameters (e.g., from theheight in the first embodiment to the presence or absence of a mine andthe mine type), which are used to represent the state of the workingregion stored in the display table 147 and the display specifics table148, depending on the type of working machine and by modifying, in matchwith such a modification, parameters related to the state of the workingregion, which are used in the processing software represented as theflowcharts of FIG. 12. As a result, it is possible to easily employ thework support and management system in different types of workingmachines in common, and to inexpensively prepare the work support andmanagement system with ease.

Also, the display table 147 dedicated for display is provided separatelyfrom the work object information table 144 and the before-work objectinformation table 145, and the processing is executed while selectivelyusing the storage means, i.e., either the display table 147 or theothers including the work object information table 144 and thebefore-work object information table 145, between when the state of theworking region is subjected to the discriminative display process andwhen the work data is subjected to the arithmetic operation process.Therefore, the creation of the programs can be facilitated, and the worksupport and management system can more easily be prepared.

Further, the working region is represented in units of mesh indicating aplane of a predetermined size, and the state of the working region isstored per mesh in the work object information table 144, thebefore-work object information table 145, and the display table 147. Theprocessing software shown in the flowchart of FIG. 12 executes thedisplay process and the arithmetic operation process of the detaileddata per mesh. Therefore, the creation of the individual programs can befacilitated, and the work support and management system can more easilybe prepared.

Moreover, with this embodiment, when the work plan screen is selected,the state of the working region before the start of work is displayed ina color-coded manner, and the area of the planned working region and thetotal number of mines to be removed are displayed as numerical values.Therefore, the work plan can easily be prepared, thus resulting in anincrease of the working efficiency and the management efficiency.

When the during-work screen is selected, the state during work isdisplayed in a color-coded manner, and the three-dimensional position ofthe mine sweeping machine and the front attitude are displayed insuperimposed relation to the state during work. It is therefore possibleto facilitate confirmation of the progress of work, to avoid the minesweeping operation from being repeated in the same place, and toincrease the working efficiency. In addition, a buried object isprevented from being destroyed by false, which results in an improvementof safety.

When the after-work screen is selected, the state after work on that dayis displayed in a color-coded manner, and the area of the mine sweptworking region and the number of disposed-of mines on that day aredisplayed as numerical values. Therefore, logging on a daily report canbe facilitated, and the management efficiency can be increased.

When the total-work completion screen is selected, the state after thecompletion of total work is displayed in a color-coded manner. Further,the total area of the completely mine swept region and the total numberof disposed-of mines can be confirmed, thus resulting in an increase ofthe management efficiency.

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described withreference to FIG. 13 through 16.

FIG. 13 is an illustration showing the overall configuration of a worksupport and management system according to the third embodiment in whichthe present invention is applied to a ground improving machine.

Referring to FIG. 13, a ground improving machine 201 is constructed byusing a crawler mounted hydraulic excavator as a base machine, and hasthe same basic structure as the hydraulic excavator shown in FIG. 1.Similar components to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by respective numeralsincreased by 200. However, a front operating mechanism 205 includes,instead of the bucket, a stirrer 208 for spraying a solidifier into softground and stirring it.

An on-board system 210 is mounted on the ground improving machine 201,and a GPS base station 225 and a management room 230 are installed inother places. The GPS base station 225 and the management room 230 alsohave the same basic configuration as those shown in FIG. 1, and similarcomponents to those in FIG. 1 are denoted by respective numeralsincreased by 200. However, the on-board system 210 additionally includesa rotation counter 230 for detecting the rotation speed of the stirrer208 and a verticality meter 231 for measuring the verticality of thestirrer 208.

Further, a computer 223 of the on-board system 210 has the sameconfiguration as that in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2. In thisthird embodiment, however, signals from the rotation counter 230 and thevertically meter 231 are also inputted to the input device (A/Dconverter) 232 (see FIG. 2).

As shown in FIG. 14, the computer 223 of the on-board system 210includes a ground improving support database 240. The ground improvingsupport database 240 also has the same basic configuration as thedatabase in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 except for omission ofthe before-work object information table, and similar tables to those inFIG. 3 are denoted by respective numerals increased by 200. Morespecifically, the ground improving support database 240 is made up of amachine position information table 241, a machine dimension data table242, a work information table 243, a work object information table 244,a target value information table 246, a display table 247, and a displayspecifics table 248.

The data contents stored in the tables 141 through 148 are essentiallythe same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 3 except for thefollowing points.

The machine position information table 241 and the machine dimensiondata table 242 store, as attachment information, information related tothe stirrer instead of the bucket. The work information table 243stores, instead of the amount of excavated earth, the number ofpositions where the solidifier is to be loaded, the rotation speed ofthe stirrer, etc. The work object information table 244, the targetvalue information table 246, and the display table 247 store, instead ofthe landform (height), the position and amount of the solidifier loadedas the state of the working region.

The following points are the same as in the first embodiment shown inFIG. 3. The current state of the working region stored in the workobject information table 244 includes the state before daily work, thestate during daily work, the state after daily work, and the state afterthe completion of total work. Those states are stored in areas 244 a,244 b, 244 c and 244 d, which are independent of one another. Thecurrent state of the working region and the target state of the workingregion, which are stored respectively in the work object informationtable 244 and the target value information table 246, are each expressedin a way of representing the working region in units of mesh thatindicates a plane of a predetermined size, and are each stored asinformation per mesh. The display specifics table 248 stores therelationship between the state of the working region per mesh and thediscriminative display method (display color). Additionally, because themesh indicating the predetermined size represents in itself the positioninformation, the amount of the loaded solidifier is stored incombination with the position information of the mesh, as the state ofthe working region (i.e., the position and amount of the solidifierloaded), in the work object information table 244, the target valueinformation table 246, and the display table 247.

The state of the working region stored in the display table 247 includesthe state in the work planning stage, the state during work, the stateafter work, and the state after the completion of total work. The statein the work planning stage is given by copying the state before thestart of work, which is stored in the before-work object informationtable 245. The state during work is given by copying the state duringwork, which is stored in the work object information table 124. Thestate after work is given by copying the state after work, which isstored in the work object information table 124. The state after thecompletion of total work is given by copying the state after thecompletion of total work, which is stored in the work object informationtable 244. Those states are stored in corresponding areas 247 a, 247 b,247 c and 247 d within the display table 247.

Further, the relationship between the state of the working region andthe discriminative display method (display color), which is stored inthe display specifics table 248, is given such that the state of theworking region is stored as information indicating the amount of theloaded solidifier and the discriminative display method is provided bycolor coding. For example, the relationship is represented bycombinations of states and colors, such as the amount of the loadedsolidifier less than 10 liters and light blue, the amount of the loadedsolidifier not less than 10 liters, but less than 20 liters and blue,the amount of the loaded solidifier not less than 20 liters, but lessthan 30 liters and green, and the amount of the loaded solidifier notless than 30 liters. The discriminative display method may also bepracticed, as mentioned above, by using symbols, e.g., ⊙, ◯, ●, x and Δ,instead of color coding.

The current state of the working region includes, as mentioned above,the state before daily work, the state during daily work, the stateafter daily work, and the state after the completion of total work. Ofthose states, the state during daily work can be obtained by, wheneverthe solidifier is loaded, correcting the previous current state. Thatdata is periodically stored and updated in the work object informationtable 244 upon timer interrupts. Also, of the state before daily work,the state before work on the first day for the total working term can beobtained by copying the state before the start of work stored in thebefore-work object information table 245. The state before work on thesecond or subsequent day can be obtained by copying the state after workon the previous day, and the state after daily work can be obtained bycopying the last state during work on that day. Those data are alsostored in the work object information table 244. Further, the stateafter the completion of total work can be obtained by copying the stateafter work at the completion of the total work, and that data issimilarly stored in the work object information table 244. Of the targetstate of the working region, the position where the solidifier is to beloaded can be obtained from data representing a place that requires theloading of the solidifier, and the amount of the loaded solidifier canbe obtained by converting the hardness of the ground requiring theloading of the solidifier into the amount of the loaded solidifier.Those data are also subjected to the mesh processing and stored in thetarget value information table 246.

As mentioned above, map data may be superimposed, as required, on thedata stored in the tables 244 through 247. This enables the operator toknow the presence or absence of rivers, roads, etc., thus resulting inan increase of the working efficiency.

FIG. 15 shows screen examples displayed on a monitor 223 a. These screenexamples are the same as those in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 5except that the displayed state of the working region is changed fromthe landform (height) to the position and amount of the solidifierloaded. More specifically, an upper left example in FIG. 15 represents awork plan screen A3 used in the work planning stage, and an upper rightexample in FIG. 15 represents a during-work screen B3 used forsupporting the operator during work. A lower left example in FIG. 15represents an after-work screen C3 used after the end of work on oneday, and a lower right example in FIG. 15 represents a total-workcompletion screen D3 used after the completion of total work for theplanned entire working region. In each of those screens, the state ofthe working region is displayed in a plan view where the state isrepresented in units of mesh by color coding (in FIG. 15, it isrepresented by different densities of hatched meshes for the sake ofconvenience, and this is similarly applied to the followingdescription). Further, in the during-work screen B3 at the upper rightposition in FIG. 15, the three-dimensional position of the groundimproving machine 201 and the front attitude (three-dimensional positionof the stirrer) are displayed in superimposed relation to the stateduring work.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing processing procedures of the computer223. The processing procedures of the computer 223 are also the same asthose in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 7 except for the displayprocess of “work plan screen”, “during-work screen”, “after-work screen”and “total-work completion screen”, and the display process of detaileddata. In FIG. 16, steps corresponding to those shown in FIG. 7 aredenoted by the same symbols suffixed with B.

In FIG. 16, if “work plan screen” is selected, the work plan screen A3shown in FIG. 15 is displayed on the monitor 223 a and detailed data inthe work planning stage is also displayed (steps S102B, S110B andS112B). The detailed data displayed here includes the area of theplanned working region, the number of positions where the solidifier isto be loaded, the amount of the loaded solidifier, etc. The number ofpositions where the solidifier is to be loaded and the amount of theloaded solidifier can be obtained from the target state of the workingregion. Those obtained data are stored in the work information table243.

If “during-work screen” is selected, the during-work screen B3 shown inFIG. 15 is displayed on the monitor 223 a and detailed data during workis also displayed (steps S104B, S114B and S116B). The detailed datadisplayed here includes the area of the working region currently underwork, the amount of the loaded solidifier, the verticality and rotationspeed of the stirrer, etc. Those data are stored in the machine positioninformation table 241.

If “after-work screen” is selected, the after-work screen C3 shown inFIG. 15 is displayed on the monitor 223 a and detailed data after workis also displayed (steps S106B, S118B and S120B). The detailed datadisplayed here includes the area of the solidifier loaded workingregion, the number of positions where the solidifier has been loaded,and the amount of the loaded solidifier on that day. The number ofpositions where the solidifier has been loaded and the amount of theloaded solidifier on that day can be calculated from the differencebetween the state before work and the state after work on that day.Those data are stored in the work information table 243.

If “total-work completion screen” is selected, the total-work completionscreen D3 shown in FIG. 15 is displayed on the monitor 123 a anddetailed data after the completion of total work is also displayed(steps S108B, S122B and S124B). The detailed data displayed hereincludes the total area of the completely solidifier loaded region, thenumber of positions where the solidifier has actually been loaded, theamount of the loaded solidifier, etc. The number of positions where thesolidifier has actually been loaded and the amount of the loadedsolidifier can be calculated by summing up, respectively, the dailynumber of positions where the solidifier has been loaded and the dailyamount of the loaded solidifier from the first to last day. Those dataare also stored in the work information table 243.

Processing procedures of steps S110B, S114B, S118B and S122B ofdisplaying the respective screens with selection of the work planscreen, the during-work screen, the after-work screen, and thetotal-work completion screen are the same as those in the firstembodiment shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8. In this third embodiment,however, the amount of the loaded solidifier per mesh is used torepresent the state of the working region for each mesh instead of thelandform height per mesh.

This third embodiment thus constituted can also provide similaradvantages to those obtained with the first embodiment.

The ground improving support database 240 includes the display table 247and the display specifics table 248, which serve as storage meansdedicated for display. The state of the working region per mesh isstored in the display table 247, and the discriminative display method(display color) is stored in the display specifics table 248corresponding to the state per mesh. Reference is made to the displayspecifics table 248 on the basis of the state (the position and amountof the solidifier loaded) per mesh, which is stored in the display table247, to read the corresponding display color from the display specificstable 248, thereby displaying the state of the working region in acolor-coded manner. Even for different types of working machines,therefore, the state of the working region can similarly be displayed ina discriminative manner just by modifying parameters (e.g., from theheight in the first embodiment to the position and amount of thesolidifier loaded), which are used to represent the state of the workingregion stored in the display table 247 and the display specifics table248, depending on the type of working machine and by modifying, in matchwith such a modification, parameters related to the state of the workingregion, which are used in the processing software represented as theflowcharts of FIG. 12. As a result, it is possible to easily employ thework support and management system in different types of workingmachines in common, and to inexpensively prepare the work support andmanagement system with ease.

Also, the display table 247 dedicated for display is provided separatelyfrom the work object information table 244 and the target valueinformation table 246, and the processing is executed while selectivelyusing the storage means, i.e., either the display table 247 or theothers including the work object information table 244 and the targetvalue information table 246, between when the state of the workingregion is subjected to the discriminative display process and when thework data is subjected to the arithmetic operation process. Therefore,the creation of the programs can be facilitated, and the work supportand management system can more easily be prepared.

Further, the working region is represented in units of mesh indicating aplane of a predetermined size, and the state of the working region isstored per mesh in the work object information table 244, the targetvalue information table 246, and the display table 247. The processingsoftware shown in the flowchart of FIG. 16 executes the display processand the arithmetic operation process of the detailed data per mesh.Therefore, the creation of the individual programs can be facilitated,and the work support and management system can more easily be prepared.

Moreover, with this embodiment, when the work plan screen is selected,the state of the working region before the start of work is displayed ina color-coded manner together with the target positions of solidifierloading, and the area of the planned working region, the number ofpositions where the solidifier is to be loaded and the amount of theloaded solidifier are displayed as numerical values. Therefore, whetherthe work plan is proper or not can be determined in advance, thusresulting in an increase of the efficiency of work planning. Also, theamount of the loaded solidifier, which is required for the work, can beestimated, thus resulting in an increase of the working efficiency.

When the during-work screen is selected, the state during work isdisplayed in a color-coded manner, and the three-dimensional position ofthe ground improving machine and the front attitude are displayed insuperimposed relation to the state during work. It is therefore possibleto facilitate confirmation of the progress of work, to enable the nextwork position to be promptly confirmed and easily located, and toincrease the working efficiency. In addition, the number of workersrequired for locating the next position can be reduced, and hence thecost can be cut correspondingly.

When the after-work screen is selected, the state after work on that dayis displayed in a color-coded manner, and the area of the solidifierloaded working region, the number of positions where the solidifier hasbeen loaded, the amount of the loaded solidifier, etc. are displayed asnumerical values. Therefore, logging on a daily report can befacilitated, and the management efficiency can be increased.

When the total-work completion screen is selected, the state after thecompletion of total work is displayed in a color-coded manner. Further,the total area of the completely solidifier loaded region, the number ofpositions where the solidifier has actually been loaded, and the amountof the loaded solidifier can be confirmed, thus resulting in an increaseof the management efficiency.

In the embodiments described above, the display table dedicated fordisplay is prepared in the work support database, and the state of theworking region used for display is stored in the display table.Depending on cases, however, the state of the working region used fordisplay may be stored in the work object information table, thebefore-work object information table, and/or the target valueinformation table, or it may given in common as the data stored in eachof those tables, while the display table is omitted.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the present invention, even for different types of workingmachines, the state of the working region can similarly be displayed ina discriminative manner just by modifying parameters related to thestate of the working region, which are used in first processing means,in match with a modification of parameters used to represent the stateof the working region stored in first and second storage means. It istherefore possible to easily employ the work support and managementsystem in different types of working machines in common, and toinexpensively prepare the work support and management system with ease.

1. A work support and management system for a working machine, whichsupports and manages work carried out by a working machine (1), saidsystem comprising first storage means (47) for storing the state of aworking region where said working machine (1) carries out the work;second storage means (48) for storing the relationship between the stateof said working region and a discriminative display method; and displaymeans (234, 237, 239) for displaying the state of said working region,wherein said display means includes first processing means (S110, S114,S118, S122, S150-154) for obtaining discriminative display data byreferring to the relationship stored in said second storage means on thebasis of the state of said working region stored in said first storagemeans, and for displaying the state of said working region in adiscriminative manner.
 2. A work support and management system for aworking machine, which measures and displays the three-dimensionalposition and state of a working machine (1), thereby supporting andmanaging work carried out by said working machine, said systemcomprising: first storage means (47) for storing the state of saidworking region where said working machine (1) carries out the work;second storage means (48) for storing the relationship between the stateof said working region and a discriminative display method; thirdstorage means (41) for storing the three-dimensional position and stateof said working machine; and display means (234, 237, 239) fordisplaying the state of said working region, wherein said display meansincludes first processing means (S110, S114, S118, S122, S150-154) forobtaining discriminative display data by referring to the relationshipstored in said second storage means on the basis of the state of saidworking region stored in said first storage means, and for displayingthe state of the working region in a discriminative manner, whiledisplaying the three-dimensional position and state of said workingmachine in superimposed relation to the state of said working regionbased on the data stored in said third storage means.
 3. A work supportand management system for a working machine, which supports and manageswork carried out by a working machine (1), said system comprising: firststorage means (47) used for display and storing the state of saidworking region where said working machine (1) carries out the work;second storage means (48) for storing the relationship between the stateof said working region and a discriminative display method; thirdstorage means (44, 45, 46) used for arithmetic operation and storing thestate of said working region; and display means (234, 237, 239) fordisplaying the state of said working region, wherein said display meansincludes first processing means (S110, S114, S118, S122, S150-154) forobtaining discriminative display data by referring to the relationshipstored in said second storage means on the basis of the state of saidworking region stored in said first storage means, and for displayingthe state of said working region in a discriminative manner, and secondprocessing means (S112, S116, S120, S124) for obtaining work data basedon data stored in said third storage means and displaying the obtainedwork data.
 4. The work support and management system for a workingmachine according to claim 1, wherein said working region is representedin units of mesh (M) indicating a plane of a predetermined size, andsaid first storage means (47) stores the state of said working regionper mesh; and wherein said first processing means obtains thediscriminative display data by referring to the relationship stored insaid second storage means (48) on the basis of the state of said workingregion stored in said first storage means per mesh, and displays thestate of said working region per mesh in a discriminative manner.
 5. Awork support and management system for a working machine, which measuresand displays the three-dimensional position and state of a workingmachine (1), thereby supporting and managing work carried out by saidworking machine, said system comprising: first storage means (47) usedfor display and storing, as the state of said working region where saidworking machine (1) carries out the work, at least one of the currentstate of said working region, the state of said working region beforethe start of the work, and a target value of the work; second storagemeans (48) for storing the relationship between the state of saidworking region and a discriminative display method; third storage means(41) for storing the three-dimensional position and state of saidworking machine; fourth storage means (44) for storing the current stateof said working machine; fifth storage means (45 or 46) for storing atleast one of the state of said working region before the start of thework and the target value of the work; sixth storage means (43) forstoring work data of said working machine; and display means (234, 237,239) for displaying the state of said working region, wherein saiddisplay means includes selection means (S102-108) for selectivelydisplaying a plurality of screens (A1-D1) corresponding to workingprocesses, first processing means (S110, S114, S118, S122) for, when anyof said plurality of screens is selected, obtaining discriminativedisplay data by referring to the relationship stored in said secondstorage means on the basis of the state of said working region stored insaid first storage means, and displaying the state of said workingregion in a discriminative manner, and second processing means (S112,S116, S120, S124) for, when any of said plurality of screens isselected, obtaining the work data of the working region based on datastored in related one or more of said first, third, fourth and fifthstorage means, displaying the obtained work data, and storing theobtained work data in said sixth storage means.
 6. The work support andmanagement system for a working machine according to claim 5, whereinsaid working region is represented in units of mesh (M) indicating aplane of a predetermined size, and said first, fourth and fifth storagemeans (47, 44, 45 or 46) stores the state of said working region permesh; and wherein said first processing means (S110, S114, S118, S122)obtains the discriminative display data by referring to the relationshipstored in said second storage means on the basis of the state of saidworking region stored in said first storage means per mesh, therebydisplaying the state of said working region per mesh in a discriminativemanner, and said second processing means (S112, S116, S120, S124)obtains the work data per mesh based on the data stored in related oneor more of said first, third, fourth and fifth storage means, therebydisplaying the obtained work data.
 7. The work support and managementsystem for a working machine according to claim 5, wherein saidplurality of screens selectively displayed by said selection means(S102-108) includes a work plan screen (A1); and wherein when saidselection means (S102) selectively displays the work plan screen, saidfirst processing means (S110) obtains the discriminative display data byreferring to the relationship stored in said second storage means (48)on the basis of, among the data stored in said first storage means (47),data regarding at least one of the state of said working region beforethe start of the work and the target value of the work, therebydisplaying at least one of the state before the start of the work andthe target value of the work in a discriminative manner, and said secondprocessing means (S112) computes and displays a target work amount basedon the data stored in said fifth storage means (45 or 46), and storesthe target work amount in said sixth storage means (43).
 8. The worksupport and management system for a working machine according to claim5, wherein said plurality of screens selectively displayed by saidselection means (S102-108) includes a during-work screen (B1); andwherein when said selection means (S104) selectively displays theduring-work screen, said first processing means (S114) obtains thediscriminative display data by referring to the relationship stored insaid second storage means (48) on the basis of, among the data stored insaid first storage means (47), data regarding the current state of saidworking region, thereby displaying the current state of said workingregion in a discriminative manner, while displaying the position andstate of said working machine in superimposed relation to the state ofsaid working region based on the data stored in said third storage means(41), and said second processing means (S116) computes and displays thedata regarding the position and state of said working machine based onthe data stored in said third storage means (41).
 9. The work supportand management system for a working machine according to claim 5,wherein said plurality of screens selectively displayed by saidselection means (S102-108) includes an after-work screen (C1); andwherein when said selection means (S106) selectively displays theafter-work screen, said first processing means (S118) obtains thediscriminative display data by referring to the relationship stored insaid second storage means (48) on the basis of the data stored in saidfirst storage means (47), thereby displaying the state of said workingregion after the work in a discriminative manner, and said secondprocessing means (S120) computes and displays an amount of the work madeon that day based on, among the data stored in said fourth storage means(44), the data regarding the current state of said working region, andstores the amount of the work made on that day in said sixth storagemeans (43).
 10. The work support and management system for a workingmachine according to claim 5, wherein said plurality of screensselectively displayed by said selection means (S102-108) includes atotal-work completion screen (D1); and wherein when said selection means(S108) selectively displays the total-work completion screen, said firstprocessing means (S122) obtains the discriminative display data byreferring to the relationship stored in said second storage means (48)on the basis of, among the data stored in said first storage means (47),data regarding the current state of said working region, therebydisplaying the state of said work region after the completion of totalwork, and said second processing means (S124) computes and displays atotal amount of completed work based on the data stored in said fourthstorage means (44) and the data stored in said fifth storage means (45),and stores the quality management information in said sixth storagemeans (43).
 11. The work support and management system for a workingmachine according to claim 1, wherein said second storage means (48)stores the discriminative display method in color-coded representation;and wherein said first processing means (S110, S114, S118, S122)displays the state of said working region in a color-coded manner. 12.The work support and management system for a working machine accordingto claim 1, wherein said working machine is a hydraulic excavator (1),and the state of said working region is represented by landform of saidworking region.
 13. The work support and management system for a workingmachine according to claim 1, wherein said working machine is a minesweeping machine (101), and the state of said working region isrepresented by the presence or absence of mines buried in said workingregion and the mine type.
 14. The work support and management system fora working machine according to claim 1, wherein said working machine isa ground improving machine (201), and the state of said working regionis represented by positions where a solidifier is loaded and an amountof the loaded solidifier.